Quick Links
Connections is a game from the New York Times that challenges you to find the association between words. It sounds easy, but it isn’t—Connections categories can be almost anything, and they’re usually quite specific. If you need a hand getting the answers, we’ve got you covered.
What Is Connections?
Connections is a game from the New York Times. The objective is simple: sort 16 words into groups of 4. Each group of words will be connected by some common idea or theme. That common element could be anything. We have seen everything from games that rely on the number of letters in the words to categories that require you to spot an extra letter at the end of the word. Sometimes they’re references to economics, other times they reference fairy tales. There is no telling what sort of association there will be between words.
Once you’re confident you understand the connection, select 4 words, then hit “Submit.” You have only four attempts in total, so don’t be too guess-happy.
Hints for Today’s Connections Groups
Here are a few hints for the 427th Connections game to get you started:
Bowie, Butcher, Butter, Butterfly
How Did We Solve This Connections Game?
Today’s game was another very literal one, which made it pretty easy.
I first noticed the words Mercury and Bowie, which sent me down the wrong path entirely, as I was looking for more words that could be the last names of vocalists.
When that turned up nothing, I switched gears and started looking for other metals, which was much more productive. Gold, lead, mercury, and tin are all metallic elements specifically, rather than alloys (like bronze). They were in the Yellow group, “Metal Elements.”
King, queen, and throne threw me off for a little while too, but I eventually realized that king and queen are also both bed sizes. Jumping tracks from “royalty” to “Mattresses Sizes,” full and twin were really the only other options. King, queen, twin, and full were in the green group, “Mattress Sizes.”
Returning to bowie, I started skimming for what words might fit in a group with it. Butcher and butter both made me think of knives—which also works with bowie—and a butterfly knife is also a type of knife. Those 4 words were in the Purple group, “Kinds of Knives.”
That left can, head, john, and throne. My first thought was “euphemisms for toilet,” but almost couldn’t believe it. However, that turned out to be right—the Blue group was “Slang for Toilet.”
How Do You Guess Connections Groups?
There is no quick, reliable way to approach Connections like there is with Wordle, since Connections isn’t algorithmic. However, there are a few things to keep in mind that can help.
If you didn’t solve this one, don’t feel too bad—there’s always tomorrow! And those words may align with a topic you’re interested in, giving you a leg up on the competition.
